Confusion as Huduma Centre scales down operations over coronavirus
There was confusion and drama at the Huduma Center GPO earlier on Wednesday morning when hundreds of citizens seeking government services were momentarily denied entry.
Huduma Center GPO manager Gatobu Kirera, however, explained that due to the government directive against public gatherings after several cases of coronavirus were confirmed in the country, they had to scale down some services and make special plans before opening the doors to the public.
“We opened late as we have been putting in place measures to ensure our clients and staff are safe when they go into the centre. We have taken a bit of time to organise all that,” he explained to Nairobi News.
“Some of the departments of government and agencies have recalled staff so there are services like the Good Conduct Certificate that are not being offered at the moment. A few other departments have advised staff to work from home so there is a bit of slowdown in those particular services that they offer and therefore, unfortunately, some citizens have to go back home without being served,”
The scale-down of services means there will be fewer people in the centre but even with that, they are not leaving anything to chance as those who are allowed in to collect documents have to sanitise their hands thoroughly.
“They have to wash their hands before they go into the centre, even as you go to the counter we sanitise you using the hand sanitiser. We have also sanitised the surfaces and all the machines to minimise the possibility of transmissions. We are also asking the citizens when lining up to leave some space between each other or even when they seat down,” Kirera said.
“The biggest challenge, of course, is the citizens want to crowd the centre and don’t follow simple instructions like maintaining a safe distance between themselves but we will keep spreading the awareness messages,” he added.
Only collection of crucial documents is allowed at the centre as applications of driving licenses, identification cards and other documents remain suspended indefinitely.